The Hundred: Can Oval Invincibles retain their crown?

Summer is in full swing and with the sun shining, there’s nothing quite like a nice bit of cricket. Thankfully, The Hundred is back for another year, with the 2024 season getting underway today.

It’s the fourth edition of the exciting cricket format, with eight men’s and women’s teams from across the country set to lock horns as they battle to be crowned this year’s winners. After eight matches each, the top three teams qualify for the knockout stages, with second and third place playing out an eliminator to reach the final.

This year’s final once again takes place at Lord’s on Sunday 18th August, with the eliminator played at The Oval the day before.

Oval Invincibles target second successive title

The Oval Invincibles have a rich history in The Hundred despite the competition’s relatively short lifespan. The women’s side won the first two editions and a year ago it was the turn of the men to take charge as they claimed their first title.

The London-based franchise dominated the men’s standings in 2023, finishing top of the pile before beating Manchester Originals in the final at Lord’s. They won six of their eight group matches, with their only defeat coming against Birmingham Phoenix.

Now the Oval Invincibles have another title in their sights and they seem to have gone from strength to strength. While they’ve kept the bulk of their key players, including impressive all-rounders and brothers Tom and Sam Curran, they’ve also made improvements.

Jason Roy has made the switch to the Northern Chargers and he’s been replaced by Dawid Malan, who was the leading run scorer in the 2022 season. They’ll also benefit from the bowling of Spencer Johnson, who is back after helping Brisbane Heat win the Big Bash.

On the women’s side, the Oval Invincibles aren’t quite as fancied to go all the way, although they’ll still compete and they know what it takes to win having gone all the way in both 2021 and 2022.

Their 2023 season didn’t quite go to plan as they finished fifth in the standings, winning just three of their matches. But they still boast a strong squad that includes South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, who won the player of the series last year.

Oval Invincibles key fixtures

Oval Invincibles vs Birmingham Phoenix – Tuesday 23rd July, The Oval
London Spirit vs Oval Invincibles – Sunday 4th August, Lord’s
Manchester Originals vs Oval Invincibles – Tuesday 6th August, Old Trafford
Oval Invincibles vs London Spirit – Sunday 11th August, The Oval

Third time lucky for Manchester Originals?

The phrase ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ comes to mind when it comes to Manchester Originals and The Hundred. The men’s side have lost the last two finals and will be desperate to make it third time lucky this summer.

Back in 2022, they finished second in the group stage and edged past London Spirit in the eliminator. But it wasn’t to be as they narrowly lost in the final against Trent Rockets. And 12 months ago it was a case of deja vu as Tom Curran’s unbeaten 67 saw Oval Invincibles triumph in the final.

Manchester Originals boast an impressive squad and in Jos Buttler and Phil Salt they had one of the competition’s strongest pairings at the top of the order. Buttler finished top of the runs standings last time out with 391, 151 runs clear of second pace. However, Buttler looks set to miss the competition due to injury.

To make matters worse, they’ve been hampered by the loss of Laurie Evans who has switched allegiance and joined Southern Brave. They’ll still feel they can do damage and win enough games to reach the knockout stage. But should they find themselves in another final, they’ll face a psychological battle to escape the losing mentality that has seen them miss out in previous years.

Manchester Originals key fixtures

Manchester Originals vs Welsh Fire – Thursday 25th July, Old Trafford
Manchester Originals vs Oval Invincibles – Tuesday 6th August, Old Trafford
London Spirit vs Manchester Originals – Friday 9th August, Lord’s

Southern Brave look to defend women’s crown

Much like Manchester Originals in the men’s competition, the Southern Brave women’s side previously had two losing finals under their belts. Luckily for them, they hit that hoodoo for six by winning the title in 2023.

They enjoyed a near-perfect group stage, winning seven of their eight matches to reach the knockouts. And when they met Northern Superchargers in the final, they won by 34 runs, with Danni Wyatt scoring an impressive 59.

Wyatt scored the most runs in the competition with 295, while Georgia Adams topped the wicket standings after taking 16. Both players are still at Southern Brave and they’ll be essential if they’re to go all the way again. They remain the bookies’ favourites to retain their title, although they’ll face stiff competition from Northern Superchargers and Welsh Fire.

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